To Make You Happy
by Semi-Retired Writer
Summary: One rooftop conversation changes everything. Full story version. T for Nakamori's mouth. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**To Make You Happy—Chapter 1**

 _To anyone who has read When Will You Feel Happy?, this chapter will read much the same as that story with a little editing. After I posted the first story, LLLTengokuHana messaged me with some suggestions to lengthen the story, and I thought her ideas were great, so I decided to make a multi-chapter fic based on When Will You Feel Happy?. At the same time, I liked the original story, so I've left it up as a oneshot and I'm uploading this separately as I work on writing it. I hope everyone likes this version!_

"When will you feel happy?"

The woman's voice startled Kaito, who had thought he was alone on the building's rooftop. He'd thought the police "party" wouldn't notice him leaving for a little while. They'd called it a party, but he'd discovered that to the police, a party was simply a polite networking opportunity during which everybody ignored the civilian guests in favor of the higher-ups in attendance. Nakamori-keibu had been busy all night, getting to know the officers from outside his own department and introducing his daughter to each one in the hopes of encouraging her to consider her future career options. Kaito had just stood around trying to look approachable, but surprisingly to no avail.

Immediately recognizing the disembodied voice of the girl that had followed him to the roof, Kaito wasn't so surprised; after all, Aoko was probably just as bored at the party as he was. As far as Kaito could tell, she had no interest in joining the police in the future. Kaito turned around so he could face her directly.

"What do you mean, Aoko?" Kaito responded with a question of his own. "I mean, obviously, I'm bored at the moment, but what makes you think I'm not happy?"

"I'm not as oblivious as you think I am," Aoko started with a sigh. She lifted her serious gaze to meet his puzzled eyes. "I've been your best friend since we were kids! Do you really think I can't tell how you feel after knowing you so long!? You can't honestly think you can just use that damn poker face to hide how you feel from your best friends!"

"Aoko—" Kaito tried to interrupt, hoping to calm down the clearly angry Aoko. His interruption was interrupted before he could even think of anything he could say to fix the mood she had gotten into.

"Don't you dare stop me now!" she cried. "I've waited for too damn long! I'm going to say what I need to say, and you need to let me. Is that clear?"

Kaito wanted to disagree, to stop her from continuing until he'd calmed her down, but when she shifted slightly into the light and he saw the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say no. "Alright," he conceded. "I'm all ears."

Aoko took a few more steps and looked down over the edge of the rooftop, collecting her thoughts to prepare for her speech, at the same time holding back the tears that even now threatened to fall. She cleared her throat and began.

"Look. We used to be really close, and you just don't come back from that. I know we've grown apart since we started high school, but that doesn't mean I don't still get you. I could tell how happy you were at every one of your dad's magic shows, I could tell how devastated you were at his funeral, I could tell how terrified you were that one time I made you go to the aquarium with me, and I can see now that you're not happy. But that's not it. It's not just that you're not happy, but you're not sad either; you're not angry or focused or annoyed. And I don't mean just right now. I mean all the time starting a couple months ago. Whatever happened then, ever since, you've been scared and lonely, but you keep trying to hide it from everyone. Maybe you think this whole act has worked on everyone else, but _I'm_ not blind."

Aoko sighed softly, preparing to tell Kaito the part that scared her the most.

"I could be wrong," she continued, "and if I am, please just forget I ever said this, but I've thought a lot about all of it. You started this whole act of pretending to be happy a few months ago, and… I think it's more than just a coincidence that everything changed not long after Kaitou KID returned."

Kaito, shocked, immediately put on his alter ego's famous poker face. Before he could say anything, Aoko spoke up again.

"I know it sounds crazy, but it's the one missing puzzle piece that makes everything fit together. And the fact that you aren't even saying anything after me saying that to you says a lot. But even if you tried to defend yourself and lie about this, there's just too much evidence against you. How did that stolen jewel get into the fish that I happened to buy for my father? How did Kuroba Kaito, who used to be the most talkative person I know, manage to sit through a movie during a KID heist without a peep? How come Hakuba-san keeps coming back to talk with you when he so clearly hates your guts? What's with all the freaky stuff Koizumi-san says to you? Maybe alone, those things aren't strange, but all together like that? It all adds up, Kaito. You're either KID himself or you're one of his assistants."

Kaito openly gaped now. How the hell had she put up with him for so long if she knew the whole time who he really was? Now was his one last chance to convince Aoko he wasn't all bad. He couldn't blow this, or he might never get to talk to Aoko again. "Aoko… you're right, but please let me explain before you decide you hate me forever."

Aoko would have gasped had she not seen this revelation coming. As it was, she simply stared but kept quiet, hoping for some explanation that could fix all the Kaito had broken.

"One day a few months ago, I stumbled into a secret room of Dad's that I didn't even know existed. I'd rather not say exactly where it is, but that day, it just sort of opened on its own; I wouldn't have even known to open it otherwise. Inside, I found… well, a bunch of stuff, but most importantly was the suit, the cape, the hat, and the monocle. They weren't cheap copies or anything; someone put a lot of money into getting quality pieces of Kaitou KID's outfit. However, at the same time we'd been seeing in the newspapers that KID had just returned. Because what I found made it look a hell of a lot like my dad was KID, I needed to figure out what was going on, so I dressed up as KID and went to the next heist. There, I found out the other KID was the original KID's assistant when he mistook me for my father. I found out for sure my dad had done this up until he died, always returning the jewel, which could be discovered from any old newspaper, but later I found out why. There was a heist soon after KID returned where I met the men who killed Dad; I found out from them that Dad had been searching for a certain jewel to protect it from these men. This jewel, when a certain comet passes, is said to shed a single tear that would grant immortality to whoever drinks it."

"That's crazy!" Aoko yelled. "There's no way that's anything more than an awful fairy tale."

"I actually agreed with you," Kaito continued, "but these men were clearly dangerous, and in case this jewel exists, these are the exact people who can't be trusted with it. I haven't been able to find any information about this comet, but once it passes, I won't have to worry about finding this gem anymore, and I swear I'll immediately give up being KID. I promise you, I never wanted to keep any of the jewels; I only started out working as KID to find out what reason my dad had for doing it, and then I had to keep doing it to stop those crooks from finding this gem if it's real. Your opinion of me is much more important to me than anything I could gain from being KID, Aoko."

Now it was Aoko's turn to gape at Kaito. "I really don't know what to say, Kaito."

"Aoko, I don't expect anything of you. You're free to do what you think is best for you. But I need you to know that you are what will make me happy again. The reason I haven't been happy lately is because I was so scared you wouldn't forgive me that I couldn't even bring myself to ask you to consider it. If you can bring yourself to forgive what I've done now that you know everything… nothing would make me happier than to be your boyfriend."

The rooftop was silent for what felt like an eternity. Kaito could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest, excited by something not KID-related for the first time in months.

Aoko didn't respond for a long time, but Kaito still waited in the silence.

"…I need some time to forgive you, Kaito, and I need you to understand that without getting upset," Aoko explained. "I… I love you, but I need to think about whether I'll be okay with this before I decide anything."

Kaito was still faced with uncertainty, but for the first time in months, he allowed himself to feel real hope.

"I understand," he said. "Just promise to let me know as soon as you decide."

Behind them, the door to the roof softly closed. On the other side, Inspector Nakamori quietly rushed back down the stairs to the party.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry about the long wait, everyone! I don't usually write much during the school year, but it's summer break now, so there's more free time! I hope you all like this chapter, but please let me know what you think and how I can improve._

Nakamori Ginzo was bored out of his mind. For the fifth time this year, he was once again stuck at an office party with his fellow police officers, schmoozing with all the higher-ups in order to fit in with the rest of the crowd and to ensure he continued to be assigned to his area of expertise. Hopefully, this would help with consideration for that raise he'd been planning on asking about.

 _Damn_ , he thought as he realized his daughter was no longer anywhere to be found. _I offer to let her dress up, stay up late, and see what adults do in the real world and she doesn't even bother to take advantage of the experience._ Of course, this was what he'd reasoned with himself to explain why he brought Aoko as well as what he was telling his fellow officers who asked about her, but he wasn't oblivious to his own true reasons; he'd been hoping to spend some much-needed quality time with his daughter at the event partly to avoid discussing yet another bland topic with his coworkers, and if things got boring enough, he had planned to have her fake a stomachache so her loving father could escort her home from the party immediately without attracting any negative attention. That plan was out the window if he couldn't even find her.

He debated going on a search for her, but decided against it. She'd been excited to come to this office party with Kuroba-kun, and it was plainly obvious to Ginzo that there was something there between them. He certainly didn't want to walk in on his daughter with any boy shoving his tongue down her throat, even if the boy in question was her childhood best friend. For the time being, he'd just have to trust her to take care of herself, whatever she was doing, though he prayed she had simply taken a trip to the restroom.

He maintained his policy of keeping out of his daughter's business right up until he saw a particularly outgoing and annoying officer wandering uncomfortably close to himself. Searching for his daughter was a perfect excuse for avoiding another one of _those_ conversations with the officer. If he heard one more putdown about his unit, he didn't know what he'd do. And so he happily ran away seeking his daughter.

It only took three tries asking various officers, "Did you see which way the high-school aged girl went?" before Ginzo was pointed in the direction of a short hallway with a staircase leading to the rooftop at the end. Finding no one in each of the four rooms in the hallway, Ginzo headed for the stairway. _Typical_ , he thought. _My daughter's picked one of the most stereotypical places to go make out with her boyfriend._ Nevertheless, he headed up the stairway, considering how long it should reasonably take the two teens to stop kissing once he knocked at the door before it was fair game for him to teach the damn kid a lesson he wouldn't forget. He only wished he was armed so the threat would seem more credible. Alas, "Formal attire only!" had saved the boy this time.

He slowed as he reached the top of the final flight and heard unexpected voices. Perhaps they weren't doing anything he'd disapprove of, after all! He stopped to make sure he wasn't walking into an awkward conversation, ideally one in which his precious Aoko admitted to Kuroba-kun that she was asexual and wouldn't be doing anything that wasn't platonic with either him or any other boy.

"—feel happy?" he heard Aoko ask the last part of a question. _Shit! What did she say!?_ He frantically wondered. _Was she offering to make him "feel happy" in the worst of ways!? Not with my daughter, you bastard!_

"What do you mean, Aoko? I mean, obviously, I'm bored at the moment, but what makes you think I'm not happy?" Kuroba-kun replied to whatever his daughter had asked. _Thank God! This isn't sexual at all!_

"I'm not as oblivious as you think I am. I've been your best friend since we were kids! Do you really thing I can't tell how you feel after knowing you so long!? You can't honestly think you can just use that damn poker face to hide how you feel from your best friends!" _…Though I don't like this conversation much better,_ Ginzo thought and then hurriedly considered what to do. Obviously, no one was supposed to overhear this conversation, even though the two teenagers had neglected to fully close the damn door. Should he risk making noise by sneaking back down the stairs and concede to never fully knowing what his daughter was so upset about? Or should he stay to figure out what had gone wrong here? The conversation went on while he considered what were basically his only two options.

Kuroba tried to talk over his daughter, but she just kept going, something she'd definitely inherited from him. "Don't you dare stop me now! I've waited for too damn long! I'm going to say what I need to say, and you need to let me. Is that clear?" _Shit, I've got to stop the bad language around her. I didn't realize I was such a bad influence._

Kuroba agreed to listen and he and Ginzo waited to hear what Aoko would say. Ginzo had made up his mind; knowing what was upsetting his daughter would at least help him avoid certain upsetting topics for a little while, and it didn't seem like either teenager planned on leaving anytime soon anyway.

"Look. We used to be really close, and you just don't come back from that. I know we've grown apart since we started high school, but that doesn't mean I don't still _get_ you. I could tell how happy you were at every one of your dad's magic shows, I could tell how devastated you were at his funeral, I could tell how terrified you were that one time I made you go to the aquarium with me, and I can see now that you're not happy. But that's not it. It's not just that you're not happy, but you're not sad either; you're not angry or focused or annoyed. And I don't mean just right now. I mean all the time, starting a couple months ago. Whatever happened then, ever since, you've been scared and lonely, but you keep trying to hide it from everyone. Maybe you think this whole act has worked on everyone else, but _I'm_ not blind." Aoko was quiet for awhile, and Ginzo thought perhaps this was all she had to say and was preparing himself to not mention anything about Kuroba or anyone's feelings for at least the next few days.

"I could be wrong, and if I am, please just forget I ever said this, but I've thought a lot about all of it. You started this whole act of pretending to be happy a few months ago, and… I think it's more than just a coincidence that everything changed not long after Kaitou KID returned." Ginzo's mouth dropped in pure shock. Of course he'd suspected Kuroba of being the face behind KID's mask, but he'd forgotten that theory once the thief convinced him he'd chosen random acquaintances of his own to impersonate in order to trick the task force; KID had appeared in a perfect imitation of his own daughter, voice and all, so of course he could impersonate everyone, and it made perfect sense he'd disguise as Ginzo's acquaintances to throw him off guard. _No way! There's no way she's right. We've treated Kuroba-kun as a part of our own family, so he'd never betray either of us like that!_

"Aoko… you're right, but please let me explain before you decide you hate me forever." _What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On._ Ginzo didn't even have the words to think properly, let alone speak, luckily for him. He'd avoided making any noise so far, and now it was imperative that he gather any evidence against the thief who had personally betrayed him. He focused, trying to commit every coming word to memory for when he testified against the traitor.

"One day a few months ago, I stumbled into a secret room of Dad's that I didn't even know existed. I'd rather not say exactly where it is, but that day, it just sort of opened on its own; I wouldn't have even known to open it otherwise. Inside, I found… well, a bunch of stuff, but most importantly was the suit, the cape, the hat, and the monocle. They weren't cheap copies or anything; someone put a lot of money into getting quality pieces of Kaitou KID's outfit. However, at the same time we'd been seeing in the newspapers that KID had just returned. Because what I found made it look a hell of a lot like my dad was KID, I needed to figure out what was going on, so I dressed up as KID and went to the next heist." _Traitor._ "There, I found out the other KID was the original KID's assistant when he mistook me for my father. I found out for sure my dad had done this up until he died, always returning the jewel, which could be discovered from any old newspaper, but later I found out why." _Traitor!_ "There was a heist soon after KID returned where I met the men who killed Dad; I found out form them that Dad had been searching for a certain jewel to protect it from these men." _My old friend, a filthy traitor!_ "This jewel, when a certain comet passes, is said to shed a single tear that would grant immortality to whoever drinks it." _Trai—wait, what? I must have misheard._ Once Aoko replied, though, Ginzo knew he hadn't misheard.

"That's crazy! There's no way that's anything more than an awful fairy tale." _Oh shit, what if the kid is really just crazy? Maybe he's not even KID at all and has somehow just convinced himself that he is. Maybe everything else is coincidental. Maybe… Maybe…_

"I actually agreed with you, but these men were clearly dangerous, and in case this jewel exists, these are the exact people who can't be trusted with it. I haven't been able to find any information about this comet, but once it passes, I won't have to worry about finding this gem anymore, and I _swear_ I'll immediately give up being KID. I promise you, I never wanted to keep any of the jewels; I only started out working as KID to find out what reason my dad had for doing it, and then I had to keep doing it to stop those crooks from finding this gem if it's real. Your opinion of me is much more important to me than anything I could gain from being KID, Aoko." Ginzo didn't even have the brain capacity left to be angry about what sounded like a lead-up to romancing his sweet, innocent daughter. He was too busy trying to figure out what was going on. _If he's crazy, surely it's just this one delusion, or else people would have noticed by now and gotten help. But if he's really KID, he knowingly betrayed both of us without a second thought. I have to figure it out before something awful happens. If he's really KID, he NEEDS to be arrested right now while I have him in place, but if he's not, I could ruin a family relationship and jeopardize my own career by failing like this! What would they think if I insisted some kid was_ the _KID?_

It was quiet for a few moments, giving the elder Nakamori time to force himself out of his thoughts and back into the moment to focus on the secret conversation.

"I really don't know what to say, Kaito," came Aoko's response after what seemed like an eternity. _Neither do I, sweetheart._

"Aoko, I don't expect anything of you. You're free to do what you think is best for you. But I need you to know that you are what will make me happy again. The reason I haven't been happy lately is because I was so scared you wouldn't forgive me that I couldn't even bring myself to ask you to consider it. If you can bring yourself to forgive what I've done now that you know everything… nothing would make me happier than to be your boyfriend." Distracted by his earlier thoughts, it was only now that Ginzo noticed the romantic overtones he'd been ignoring. _Like hell my daughter is committing herself to him! He's either crazy, or he's KID, and neither of those situations makes him good enough for my girl!_ He made a note to himself to make sure he encouraged Aoko to go out and meet better boys after this matter was dealt with.

Ginzo thought the conversation might be over, judging by the minutes dragging by without a word from either of the teens. He straightened up from his crouch, prepared to escape back to the function at any sign of either approaching the door. Finally, Aoko answered.

"…I need some time to forgive you, Kaito, and I need you to understand that without getting upset." _Aha! Of course my brilliant daughter knows just what to say to escape this crazy boy without a confrontation._ The father was particularly proud of his daughter for that moment.

"I… I love you, but I need to think about whether I'll be okay with this before I decide anything." _What. The. Fuck. No! My daughter is not throwing her life away for a criminal!_ The moment of proudness had quickly faded away.

Ginzo tried to push this latest development out of his mind as he focused on the more important parts of the whole conversation. He knew he needed to investigate further, but neither of the situations he mightfind were inviting. Ginzo would either have to out his daughter's friend as crazy to protect him from himself or deal with finally finding KID's true identity.

Ginzo had missed something Kaito had said, and now there were approaching footsteps. He slipped the door shut and rushed down the stairs as quietly as he could.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quiet enough. Kaito had turned around in time to see the door being shut.

"Oh shit," was all Kaito could say.


End file.
